Why Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey’s ‘passionate’ love scene was cut from ‘Wicked: For Good’
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Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande filmed a kissing scene for “Wicked: For Good” that turned out to be a bit too intense, leading to its removal from the final cut.

The film’s co-writer, Dana Fox, recently shared with Deadline that the scene between Fiyero and Glinda was originally intended to be romantic and beautiful. However, the passion displayed made it unsuitable for the narrative’s progression.

In the beloved musical adaptation, Grande portrays Galinda, who eventually transforms into Glinda the Good Witch. Her character is engaged to Bailey’s Prince Fiyero. The plot thickens as Fiyero ultimately chooses Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, destined to become the Wicked Witch of the West, over Glinda.

“The intensity of their connection in that scene complicated Fiyero’s storyline,” Fox explained. “It made his decision to be with Elphaba more difficult to accept and Glinda’s eventual acceptance of their relationship harder to believe.”

Fox elaborated further, noting that while Fiyero genuinely loved Glinda, his feelings for her were of a different nature. This nuance was lost in the original kiss, prompting the decision to cut the scene for the film’s overall coherence.

“But this scene was too romantic, so it was like, ‘Oh, we can’t know that because then our brains will explode when he doesn’t choose her in the end. And then we’ll hate Elphaba, Glinda and Fiyero.’”

“So, I think it was a good cut because it was too adorable that you simply couldn’t handle it.”

Fox shared that there are no regrets when it comes to “Wicked: For Good” footage left on the cutting room floor.

“I don’t think there’s anything that I wish we hadn’t cut because everything we cut, I felt we cut for exactly the right reasons,” she said.

Reps for Grande and Bailey did not immediately return Page Six’s requests for comment.

Fox co-wrote the movie — the sequel to last year’s “Wicked” — with Winnie Holzman. The epic two-part film was helmed by Jon. M. Chu.

Despite the onscreen dynamic between Erivo, 38, and Grande, 32, the pair have proven to be famously steadfast friends off-screen — with Erivo jumping in to protect Grande after a crazed fan rushed Grande during the Singapore red carpet premiere earlier this month.

“Cynthia is just an absolute brilliant gift of a human being,” Grande said during a December 2024 episode of Variety’s Actors on Actors.

In an Elle interview published last November, Erivo returned the sentiment, telling Elle at the time that she “gained a sister” in Grande and that the pals “speak almost every day.”

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